Spatial and Temporal Variation in Caspian SeaTrout Densities in the Lar National Park Streams

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Biodiversity, Environmental Sciences Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: Quantitative assessment of fish abundance is the basis of scientific research and
management of their population. Demographic studies of stream-dwelling salmonids have
shown that variation in their abundance on a spatio-temporal scale is common, and trout
populations are no exception. Understanding this variation is crucial for several reasons,
including designing and interpreting environmental impact assessment studies and monitoring
fishery management strategies. The present study aimed to estimate the spatial and temporal
variations in the density of Caspian Sea trout in some of the Lar National Park streams and
investigate the relationship between the density of fish in these streams and the density of
benthic invertebrates as their primary food sources.
Material and Methods: Fish densities were calculated using the Le Cren depletion method to
achieve reliable population estimates. After two removal steps, the total number of fish caught
was standardized and expressed as density per 100 m2 of the river channel. To investigate the
temporal changes of fish abundance, the study results in 2009 were qualitatively compared with
the results of another study in 2017.
Results and Discussion: According to the 2009 results, the highest Caspian Sea trout density
was recorded in the Delichay (44 per 100 m2), Lar (43.2 per 100 m2), and Siah Palas sites (33.4
per 100 m2), respectively, and the lowest densities were recorded in the Lar (Kharsang, 10.5
per 100 m2) and Lar (Sorkhak, 11.5 per 100 m2). In 2017, the highest density of trout was
documented in Siah Palas (175 per 100 m2), Delichay (Vararo, 118 per 100 m2), and Elam (112
per 100 m2) streams, and the lowest density was recorded in the Delichay (downstream, 48 per
100 m2) and Absefid (49 per 100 m2) streams.
The distribution and abundance of stream-dwelling salmons are primarily regulated by food and
space. The abundance of Caspian Sea trout on a local scale indicates variety in quality and habitat
access for Caspian Sea trout in the Lar National Park. We speculated that habitat diversity has
influenced the density of Caspian Sea trout in various streams in the region by affecting the
abundance of aquatic invertebrates, which are the main prey source. However, the results of
regression (R2= 0.02, p value = 0.72) and correlation (Spearman, r = 0.24) analyses showed no
significant relationship between the density of fish and benthic invertebrates in the Lar National Park
streams. Despite the enough abundance of prey in Lar streams, the fish were low in density. The
cause of this incongruence is probably related to the salmon fishing in Lar National Park in the past.
Comparing fish densities in 2009 and 2017 showed that the trout density in 2017 was higher
than the trout density in 2009.
Conclusion: Considering that in 2014, the Department of Environment stopped issuing fishing
licenses in this area, one of the reasons for the increase in fish density is probably a positive
effect of the fishing prohibition on this species. Since Caspian Sea trout abundances in the Lar
National Park streams are spatio-temporally variable, it is necessary to provide reasonable
management strategies and continuous monitoring to prevent them from global warming and
conserve them in the streams of the Lar National Park. Furthermore, due to climate change and
being at risk of other populations of Caspian Sea trout in different habitats in Iran, this
population should be protected as a support population.

Keywords

References

Abdoli, A., 2000. The Inland Water Fishes of Iran. Iranian Museum of Nature and Wildlife. Tehran, Iran.
Abdoli, A, Azizi, Z, Kiabi, B, Mashhadi Ahmadi, A. and Golzarian Pour, K., 2016. Study of Summer food habits of the brown trout, Salmo trutta fario, in Lar dam lake and streams in Lar National Park. Journal of Fisheries Science and Technology. 5 (3), 1-17. (In Persian with English abstract). DOI: 20.1001.1.23225513.1395.5.3.4.3
Abdoli, A., 2009. Stocks Assessment of S.trutta  in Lar  National  Park  and  harvest  management programme. Reported from Shahid Beheshti University.85p.
Allan, J. D., 1978. Trout predation and the size composition of stream drift. Limnology and Oceanography. 23,1231–1237. DOI: 10.4319/lo.1978.23.6.1231
Almodóvar, A., Nicola, G.G. and Suárez, J., 2002. Effects of fishery management on populations of brown trout Salmo trutta in central Spain. Conservation of freshwater fishes: Options for the future. 337-345.
Almodóvar, A. and Nicola, G.G., 2004. Angling impact on conservation of Spanish stream‐dwelling brown trout Salmo trutta. Fisheries Management and Ecology. 11(3‐4), 173-182.DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2400.2004.00402.x
Alonso, C., García de Jalón, D., Álvarez, J. and Gortázar, J., 2011. A large‐ scale approach can help detect general processes driving the dynamics of brown trout populations in extensive areas. Ecology of Freshwater Fish. 20, 449–460. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0633.2011.00484.x
Avery, E. L. and Hunt, R. L., 1981. Population dynamics of wild brown trout and associated sport fisheries in four central Wisconsin streams. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Technical
Bulletin, No, 121. Wisconsin, USA.
Bovee, K. D., 1978. Probability of use criteria for the family salmonidae. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Programme FWS/OBS-78/07. Virginia. USA.
Carline, R.F., Beard Jr, T. and Hollender, B. A., 1991. Response of wild brown trout to elimination of stocking and to no-harvest regulations. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. 11(3), 253-266. DOI: 10.1577/1548-8675(1991)011<0253%3AROWBTT>2.3.CO%3B2
Cattanéo, F., Lamouroux, N., Breil, P. and Capra, H., 2002. The influence of hydrological and biotic processes on brown trout (Salmo trutta) population dynamics. Canadian journal of fisheries and aquatic sciences. 59(1), 12-22. DOI: 10.1139/F01-186
Department of Environment Islamic Republic of Iran. Available online at: https://www.doe.ir.
Elliot, J. M., 1973. The food of brown and rainbow trout (Salmo trutta and S. gairdneri) in relation to the abundance of drifting invertebrates in a mountain stream. Oecologia. 12, 329– 347. DOI: 10.1007/BF00345047
Esteve, M., Abdoli, A., Segherloo, I. H., Golzarianpour, K. and Ahmadi, A. A., 2017. Observations of Male Choice in Brown Trout (Salmo trutta) from Lar National Park, Iran. In: Brown Trout: Biology, Ecology and Management. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, pp.165-178.
Grossman, G. D., Carline, R. F. and Wagner, T., 2017. Population dynamics of brown trout (Salmo trutta) in Spruce Creek Pennsylvania: A quarter‐century perspective. Freshwater biology. 62(7), 1143-1154. DOI: 10.1111/fwb.12932
Grossman G., Rincon P.A., Farr M.D. and Ratajczak R.E., 2002. A new optimal foraging model predicts habitat use by drift-feeding stream minnows. Ecology of Freshwater Fish. 11, 2–10. DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0633.2002.110102.x
Gustafson, R.G., Waples, R.S., Myers, J.M., Weitkamp, L.A., Bryant, G.J., Johnson, O.W. and Hard, J.J., 2007. Pacific salmon extinctions: quantifying lost and remaining diversity. Conservation Biology. 21(4), 1009-1020. DOI: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2007.00693.x
Hall, J.D. and Knight, N. J., 1981. Natural variation in the abundance of salmonid populations in streams and its implications for design of impact studies. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPA600/S3-81-021, Corvallis.
Hayes, J.W., 1995. Spatial and temporal variation in the relative density and size of juvenile brown trout in the Kakanui River, North Otago, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research. 29(3), 393-407. DOI: 10.1080/00288330.1995.9516674
Hill, J. and Grossman, G., 1993. An energetic model of microhabitat use for rainbow trout and rosyside dace. Ecology. 74, 685–698. DOI: 10.2307/1940796
Hughes, N.F., Hayes, J.W., Shearer, K.A. and Young, R.G., 2003. Testing a model of drift-feeding using three-dimensional videography of wild brown trout, Salmo trutta, in a New Zealand river. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 60, 1462–1476. DOI: 10.1139/f03-126
Jowett, I.G., 1992. Models of the abundance of large brown trout in New Zealand rivers. North American journal of fisheries management. 12(3), 417-432. DOI: 10.1577/1548-8675(1992)012<0417:MOTAOL>2.3.CO;2
Khosravi, M., Abdoli, A., Ahmadzadeh, F., Saberi‐Pirooz, R., Rylková, K. and Kiabi, B.H., 2020. Toward a preliminary assessment of the diversity and origin of Cyprinid fish genus Carassius in Iran. Journal of Applied Ichthyology. 36(4), 422-430. DOI: 10.1111/jai.14039
Le Cren, E.L., Kipling, C. and McCormack, J.C., 1972. Windermere: effects of exploitation and eutrophication on the salmonid community. Journal of the Fisheries Board of Canada. 29(6), 819-832. DOI: 10.1139/f72-126
Lobón-Cerviá, J., 2004. Discharge-dependent covariation patterns in the population dynamics of brown trout (Salmo trutta) within a Cantabrian river drainage. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 61(10), 1929-1939. DOI: 10.1139/f04-118
Lobón‐Cerviá, J., 2007. Numerical changes in stream resident brown trout (Salmo trutta): Uncovering the roles of density‐dependent and density‐independent factors across space and time. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 64, 1429–1447. DOI: 10.1139/f07-111
Lockwood, R.N. and Schneider, J.C., 2000. Chapter 7: stream fish population estimates by mark-and-recapture and depletion methods. Manual of Fisheries Survey Methods II: with Periodic Updates. Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Ann Arbor. Fisheries Special Report, 25. Michigan, USA.
Merritt, R.W. and Cummins, K.W., 1996. An Introduction to the aquatic insects of North America. 3rd edition. Kendall Hunt, Dubuque, Iowa, USA.  
Milner, N. J., Wyatt, R.J. and Scott, M.D., 1993. Variability in the distribution and abundance of stream salmonids, and the associated use of habitat models. Journal offish biology. 43, 103-119. DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8649.1993.tb01182.x
Mundahl, N.D., 2017. Population dynamics of brown trout in a Minnesota (USA) stream: A 25‐year study. River Research and Applications. 33(8), 1235-1245. DOI: 10.1002/rra.3170
Neuswanger, J., Wipfli, M.S., Rosenberger, A.E. and Hughes, N.F., 2014. Mechanisms of drift-feeding behavior in juvenile Chinook salmon and the role of inedible debris in a clear-water Alaskan stream. Environmental biology of fishes. 97(5), 489-503. DOI: 10.1007/s10641-014-0227-x
Orth, D.J., 1987. Ecological considerations in the development and application of instream flow habitat models. Regulated rivers: research and management. 1, 171-181. DOI: 10.1002/rrr.3450010207
Page, K.S., Scribner, K.T. and Burnham-Curtis, M., 2004. Genetic diversity of wild and hatchery lake trout populations: relevance for management and restoration in the Great Lakes. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. 133(3), 674-691. DOI: 10.1577/T03-007.1
Pollock, K.H. 1991. Review papers: modeling capture, recapture, and removal statistics for estimation of demographic parameters for fish and wildlife populations: past, present, and future. Journal of the American Statistical Association. 86(413), 225-238. DOI: 10.1080/01621459.1991.10475022
Rashidabadi, F., Abdoli, A., Tajbakhsh, F., Nejat, F. and Avigliano, E., 2020. Unravelling the stock structure of the Persian brown trout by otolith and scale shape. Journal of fish biology. 96(2), 307-315. DOI: 10.1111/jfb.14170
Rosenfeld, J.S. and Taylor, J., 2009. Prey abundance, channel structure and the allometry of growth rate potential for juvenile trout. Fisheries Management and Ecology. 16(3), 202-218. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2400.2009.00656.x
Smialek, N., Pander, J. and Geist, J., 2021. Environmental threats and conservation implications for Atlantic salmon and brown trout during their critical freshwater phases of spawning, egg development and juvenile emergence. Fisheries Management and Ecology. 28(5), 437-467. DOI: 10.1111/fme.12507
Sušnik, S., Schöffmann, J. and Snoj, A., 2004. Phylogenetic position of Salmo (Platysalmo) platycephalus Behnke 1968 from south‐central Turkey, evidenced by genetic data. Journal of Fish Biology. 64(4), 947-960. DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8649.2004.0363.x
Syrjänen, J., K. Korsu, P. Louhi, R. Paavola and  Muotka, T., 2011. Stream salmonids as opportunistic foragers: the importance of terrestrial invertebrates along a stream-size gradient. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 68, 2146-2156. DOI: 10.1139/f2011-118
Syrjänen, J. and Valkeajärvi, P., 2010. Gillnet fishing drives lake‐migrating brown trout to near extinction in the Lake Päijänne region, Finland. Fisheries Management and Ecology. 17(2), 199-208. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2400.2010.00738.x
Tabatabaei, S.N., Abdoli, A., Segherloo, I.H., Normandeau, E., Ahmadzadeh, F., Nejat, F. and Bernatchez, L., 2020. Fine-scale population genetic structure of Endangered Caspian Sea trout, Salmo caspius: implications for conservation. Hydrobiologia. 847(16), 3339-3353. DOI: 10.1007/s10750-020-04334-7
Yekom Consulting Engineers, Vice dean of Studies and Planning - Environmental Affairs., 2003. Study and preparation of a comprehensive management plan for Lar National Park. Tehran, Iran.
Young, K.A., 1999. Managing the decline of Pacific salmon: metapopulation theory and artificial recolonization as ecological mitigation. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 56(9), 1700-1706. DOI: 10.1139/f99-113
Zorn, T.G. and Nuhfer, A. J., 2007a. Influences on brown trout and brook trout population dynamics in a Michigan river. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. 136, 691–705. DOI: 10.1577/T06-032.1
Zorn, T.G. and Nuhfer, A. J., 2007b. Regional synchrony of brown trout and brook trout population dynamics among Michigan rivers. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. 136, 706–717. DOI: 10.1577/T06-275.1
Environmental Sciences
Volume 22, Issue 2
2024
Pages 183-196

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics